LAHORE - A lack of supervision, shortage of staff, unavailability of testing kits, vaccine and laboratory facilities are hampering performance of hepatitis clinics working at district and tehsil headquarters hospitals.
The Punjab government has planned setting up hepatitis clinics at all DHQ/THQ hospitals in the province. So far, around 70 hepatitis clinics are functional and the facility will be extended to all DHQ/THQ hospitals in phases.
Working of majority of the functional hepatitis clinics is not up to the mark owing to a lack of interest on part of medical officers, absence of supervision, shortage of allied staff like dispensers and nurses, unavailability of rapid test kits and vaccine and fee for laboratory tests.
Identifying all issues, Hepatitis and Infection Control Programme has proposed solutions to medical superintendents of relevant DHQ/THQ hospitals and DHOs of district health authorities.
As per notification issued by the secretary of Primary and Secondary Health (P&SH), a hepatitis clinic is bound to register 40 patients in Electronic Management Record (EMR) on a daily basis. The programme can monitor performance of hepatitis clinics through EMR. Identifying low performing clinics through EMR and consultation with relevant MOs, the programme has suggested solutions for the prevailing issues.
Identifying shortage of paramedical staff, the programme has proposed provision of charge nurse/dispenser/health technician for the interim period. The programme has suggested MSs and DHOs to oversee the activities of MOs at hepatitis clinics as per guidelines and approved work plan.
Terming routine meetings of DHOs with MOs outside hepatitis clinics useless and time consuming, the programme proposed weekly sittings of all MOs after 2pm. On complaints of laboratory staff charging fee from patients, the programme asked the medical superintendents to ensure provision of screening facilities free of cost as per directions of the P&SH secretary.
RTK and vaccine is not available at hepatitis clinics as the entire stock is lying at office of the chief executive officer (CEO) on health. The programme has called for ensuring availability of kits and vaccine at hepatitis clinics.
IQTIDAR GILANI
